Hyatt Residence Club -- how it works. (In as few words as possible.)

[ScoopKona]

THIS ONLY DESCRIBES THE LEGACY HYATT RESIDENCE CLUB, SOON TO BE VACATION CLUB. DEEDED WEEKS. PREFERABLY BOUGHT RESALE.

1) You own a week. Any time between one year and six months from the beginning of that week, you may call/login and reserve what you own. That's it. You are done for the year.

2) Any time between one year and six months from the beginning of your week, you may call/login and convert your week into points. (This will typically range from 1300 to 2200 points for a two bedroom unit.) At the six month mark, whether you like it or not, your week will be converted into points. It is still possible to use what you own, but it is not guaranteed. If someone else booked your week at six months, tough. Savvy Hyatt owners keep an eye on what they want at the six month mark, and then pounce as the procrastinators are automatically converted to points.

3) You may spend your points three ways:

a) World of Hyatt (hotels). Don't do this. It is a waste of points and a waste of your maintenance fee. If there's absolutely nothing else you like, fine. Go ahead and convert to Hyatt Gold Passport points. But this is a bad idea.

b) Internal Hyatt exchanges. Stay either a full week, or 2, 3 or 4 nights at one of the 16 Hyatt properties. The point charts are listed as a sticky. In general, mid-week stays cost the fewest points, weekends cost the most (on a per night basis). If you have enough points, and a unit is available, you can reserve it with your points and a $40 exchange fee. ($80 if less than a full week.) Point costs range from trivial (Colorado during mud season) to 2200 points. An owner with 1300 or 1880 points can still get the ski weeks and the snowbird weeks in Florida -- by trading down in size. You can jump up or down in season or size so long as you have the points to pay for what you want.

c) Interval International. You can book II weeks anywhere from one year to four months out from your week. If you need more time to plan, you can deposit your points into Interval any time between one year and four months out. And they're good for one full year past your week. (This is the best solution if you can't find anything you want.) There is no "trading power index" or similar. Hyatt owners get the II week if one is available -- anywhere, any time of year. During peak season, the cost of a II week is either 430, 870, or 1300 points -- studio, one bedroom, two bedroom. Point costs are lower for shoulder and low season -- 260, 540, and 800 for low season and 360, 740 and 1100 for shoulder season. My wife and I have made out like bandits trading for Europe in the winter. All II weeks come with a $150 exchange fee, paid at the time of booking. You can purchase trip insurance which allows you to cancel and book something else up to a year later. I can't speak to how that works because I never bother.

4) All of this can be accomplished online or via 1-800-GO-HYATT. If you have a tricky request, the operators at GO HYATT in St. Petersburg are outstanding. "I want this area, any time during this time frame, and I want either a studio or a one bedroom. They will take your payment information if what you want pops up, and you'll get it. This is not automatic. But I've found it to be reliable. 80% of the time, I get the trade I want. (But I'm also making requests such as, "Kona Coast resort, any week in October" or "Week 51 or 52, anywhere in France, any size unit." I'll get an email with my confirmation tout suite.)

5) The down side to all of this is if your plans change or if you can't make up your mind, Hyatt will cheerfully let you squander your week, your points and your maintenance fee. They give you a last-chance option to use expired points. But that comes with many restrictions, and isn't worth wasting words. There is more to the system. But this is enough to make a decision about whether this system is right for you.

 

[AJCts411]

I've always used my weeks, and bought them to use hem, so don;t really follow the points agme, dates etc. Has anything changed other than the name?

 

[ScoopKona]

I've always used my weeks, and bought them to use hem, so don;t really follow the points agme, dates etc. Has anything changed other than the name?

Thankfully, no. The system, as written in the owner's manual, is an alphabet soup of acronyms -- CUP, LCUP, EEE, HRPP and similar. They made it unnecessarily complex. And I have yet to see a guide written in simple English -- or one that is complete. Most Hyatt guides focus on Hyatt internal trades. But that is only a small part of what is available to Hyatt owners.

 

[ds53cns]

Wow! This post could not have been timed better. Got notice yesterday that we have passed ROFR on a Maui 2bd odd year. We picked it up for the sole purpose of going to the resort for Thanksgiving this year. When looking at the cost of renting, we thought the numbers were close enough that we should throw out a lowball offer on a sale listing and they took it. The next time Thanksgiving falls on week 46 in an odd year appears to be 2029 so for 2025 and 2027 we will most likely be trading. I've never done II but may have to learn.

 

[ScoopKona]

Wow! This post could not have been timed better. Got notice yesterday that we have passed ROFR on a Maui 2bd odd year. We picked it up for the sole purpose of going to the resort for Thanksgiving this year. When looking at the cost of renting, we thought the numbers were close enough that we should throw out a lowball offer on a sale listing and they took it. The next time Thanksgiving falls on week 46 in an odd year appears to be 2029 so for 2025 and 2027 we will most likely be trading. I've never done II but may have to learn.

Considering how hard HKB is to trade into, and that it has by-far the highest maintenance fees, it would likely cost you less in both the short and long run to pick up another Hyatt week (in Sedona, San Antonio or Florida) to use strictly as a trader.

When trading, I divide the maintenance fee by how many nights I am able to obtain. Throwing away the purchase price (which has long since amortized itself into nothingness), the cost per night is usually right around $70 for me.

I have never recommended renting out a week -- you have an EOY Maui, so I would just visit Maui EOY. (You can wave at me from the Lanai.) HKB is the poster child for "use what you own." That may change down the road. It also doesn't make sense to trade the super-pricey ski weeks. Once skiing is no longer a pursuit, sell it and buy something less expensive. As you have learned, it's not particularly hard to buy and sell Hyatt weeks. You can still find some being given away -- typically 1300 or 1400 point weeks. But that's PLENTY to play around with Interval -- particularly if you don't need a 2 bedroom unit.

 

[ds53cns]

I don't see us buying more HRC weeks in order to trade, just using our week to trade to a different time of year, place or even system. The issue is that we have young kids and so need to deal with school schedules and thus can't go for week 46 unless it's during Thanksgiving break. If that's the case, is it a terrible situation to use II?

 

[ScoopKona]

I don't see us buying more HRC weeks in order to trade, just using our week to trade to a different time of year, place or even system. The issue is that we have young kids and so need to deal with school schedules and thus can't go for week 46 unless it's during Thanksgiving break. If that's the case, is it a terrible situation to use II?

No, it's not terrible.

But you can trade your Maui week for thanksgiving during years where it doesn't line up, and have a reasonable expectation of getting it. Especially if you put your trade request in the minute your points come good. All it takes is someone canceling their Thanksgiving week (illness, finances, roped into turkey with grandma) -- and you'll be next up.

If at 4-6 months you haven't received a confirmation, THEN you can dump all your points into Interval. It's a one-way trip -- you can't get the points back, even if a Maui T-day week becomes available after the deposit. But they're good for a full year after your week. So you have loads of time to find something which works for you.

Just keep in mind, a 2 bedroom week is likely going to be 1300 points. That leaves you with 900 which is enough for a one bedroom. So you will get 14 days vacation from your maintenance fee. (Somewhere around $175 per night, yes?)

But you will always be trading down in quality and expense. Take the Napa resort I visit most often. Maintenance fees are less than $1000 and the units are nothing more than single-wide mobile homes. Even I'm trading down when I trade there -- but I don't mind because I enjoy the area. There are only a handful of properties worldwide where you're making an even trade. Everything else is lopsided in the other vacationer's favor. You're paying the fees, and they get to use it. I would avoid that whenever possible.

 

[bizaro86]

Wow! This post could not have been timed better. Got notice yesterday that we have passed ROFR on a Maui 2bd odd year. We picked it up for the sole purpose of going to the resort for Thanksgiving this year. When looking at the cost of renting, we thought the numbers were close enough that we should throw out a lowball offer on a sale listing and they took it. The next time Thanksgiving falls on week 46 in an odd year appears to be 2029 so for 2025 and 2027 we will most likely be trading. I've never done II but may have to learn.

I'd considering getting a broker to rent it for you weeks you're not going and use the funds to rent something else for yourself. I think you'd come out between ahead and way ahead by doing that. If you use someone good (Denise M Travels is a mod here and highly regarded, I've rented from her in the past and found it smooth) it shouldn't be much work.

 

[ds53cns]

I'd considering getting a broker to rent it for you weeks you're not going and use the funds to rent something else for yourself. I think you'd come out between ahead and way ahead by doing that. If you use someone good (Denise M Travels is a mod here and highly regarded, I've rented from her in the past and found it smooth) it shouldn't be much work.

Thanks for the tip! The good news is that we don't have to worry about this until 2025, so we have some time.

 

[Scavanjer]

When you request a trade to another HRC resort or through II, how specific are the dates in your request? Can you specify exact weeks or do you give a date range or how does that work?

 

[ScoopKona]

When you request a trade to another HRC resort or through II, how specific are the dates in your request? Can you specify exact weeks or do you give a date range or how does that work?

Depends. I try to be as flexible as possible because that increases my chances.

"Anywhere in France for week 51 and 52. Get me a week somewhere for 51. And then get me a week somewhere else for 52." Fairly high probability.
"Kona Coast II, any week in July." Fairly high probability.
"Manhattan, must be New Years, room must face Central Park. And Sarah Jessica Parker needs to come to my room and tell Sex and the City stories to my wife." Rather low probability.

If you want to go to Orlando, there's always availability. If you want to go to that converted abbey in Ireland, there's almost never availability. I like to stay in those old converted places in Europe. I will make a special trip just to stay there. So when I put in a request, it's "These five resorts, any week at all, any unit size at all. Send me an email if I get lucky."

Examples of this are Knocktopher Abbey, Wychnor Park, Kiltannon Home Farm, Slaley Hall, and Kilconquhar Castle. How did I find these? I just went through the printed Interval directory and bent the pages of anything that looked old and interesting. Some of these have in-house pubs -- among the best pubs I have ever visited.

 

[Scavanjer]

Depends. I try to be as flexible as possible because that increases my chances.

"Anywhere in France for week 51 and 52. Get me a week somewhere for 51. And then get me a week somewhere else for 52." Fairly high probability.
"Kona Coast II, any week in July." Fairly high probability.
"Manhattan, must be New Years, room must face Central Park. And Sarah Jessica Parker needs to come to my room and tell Sex and the City stories to my wife." Rather low probability.

If you want to go to Orlando, there's always availability. If you want to go to that converted abbey in Ireland, there's almost never availability. I like to stay in those old converted places in Europe. I will make a special trip just to stay there. So when I put in a request, it's "These five resorts, any week at all, any unit size at all. Send me an email if I get lucky."

Examples of this are Knocktopher Abbey, Wychnor Park, Kiltannon Home Farm, Slaley Hall, and Kilconquhar Castle. How did I find these? I just went through the printed Interval directory and bent the pages of anything that looked old and interesting. Some of these have in-house pubs -- among the best pubs I have ever visited.

Thanks for the info. If you get the email with an opening(s) that meets your criteria do you have to confirm it or can you pass?

 

[5finny]

In your opinion are the internal exchanges or the II exchanges the highest and best use for a trader?

 

[Tucsonadventurer]

In your opinion are the internal exchanges or the II exchanges the highest and best use for a trader?

For us Hyatt Ka'anapali is our best use, then Marriott or Westin in interval. Points go further in Interval. We own 5 timeshares so it's not as much a concern but if I owned just 1 week interval gives you more vacation time

 

[SteveinHNL]

Wow! This post could not have been timed better. Got notice yesterday that we have passed ROFR on a Maui 2bd odd year. We picked it up for the sole purpose of going to the resort for Thanksgiving this year. When looking at the cost of renting, we thought the numbers were close enough that we should throw out a lowball offer on a sale listing and they took it. The next time Thanksgiving falls on week 46 in an odd year appears to be 2029 so for 2025 and 2027 we will most likely be trading. I've never done II but may have to learn.

I think the common wisdom is never trade your Maui week, you will get less than what you are giving. Rather, rent it for something above your MF, which should not be hard at all to accomplish. This is one reason why Maui is tough to trade into. Just not that many units going into the exchange pool.

 

[SteveinHNL]

When you request a trade to another HRC resort or through II, how specific are the dates in your request? Can you specify exact weeks or do you give a date range or how does that work?

This kind of depends on the resort. Tahoe has very little availability during the high summer months but reasonably good availability during ski and shoulder months. Carmel and Sedona have pretty good availability pretty much all year long so you could be pretty specific about those searches. Maui you would need to be very broad in your searches and flexibility because basically if something comes up at all, it will be random. But they do come up. I haven't searched the other HRC resorts much, but my sense is there is pretty open availability in those, with the likely exception of the ski resorts during high ski season.

 

[ScoopKona]

In your opinion are the internal exchanges or the II exchanges the highest and best use for a trader?

The best use is getting to where you want to go and paying very little to do so. The answer is going to be different for a skiier, or a oenophile. In terms of sheer "financial value for the trade" -- buy sedona and trade for maui.

We used ours mostly for Europe and California wine country -- thus paying $70/night for accommodations which easily cost $400/night if purchased as a hotel. (And at least $150/night if purchased as an AirBnB.)

 

[TUGBrian]

this is fantastic, deserves to be a sticky!

 

[ScoopKona]

Thanks for the info. If you get the email with an opening(s) that meets your criteria do you have to confirm it or can you pass?

I have them book it on the spot. I give them my credit card info so they may do so. Availability can be measured in minutes (even seconds for someplace like Knocktopher). If they have to wait for you to confirm, someone else is getting that week. The moral? Don't put in a reservation request for something you're not certain that you want.

 

[SkyBornDancer]

I want to make sure I'm reading and inferring correctly. Say I own 1B mountain view week 31 at Hyatt Maui.

---

1) I can book week 31 1B mountain view at one year and six months from the beginning of week 31.

Q1 Is it the specific unit I own? Or a random any mountain view?

2) Now, suppose I don't want to stay week 31, but still want Maui (in DVC we would call it a home resort). Any time between one year and six months from the beginning of week 31, I call/login and convert my week into Hyatt Vacation Club points

Q2 Is there any advantage to owning at Maui? Or, I'm now competing with all points for Maui?

3) Lastly, I want to go someplace outside of Hyatt. I go to interval international "Hyatt owners get the II week if one is available -- anywhere, any time of year." This makes it sound like Hyatt points get some kind of booking power or priority.

Q3 Can anyone elaborate on the availability / priority Hyatt points get in II? Where can I see point values of Hyatt weeks and point costs in II?

Thanks to everyone especially ScoopKona for this discussion. I never could properly understand Hyatt, and I've been considering Hyatt USVI or Hyatt Lake Tahoe for a while.

 

[SteveinHNL]

I want to make sure I'm reading and inferring correctly. Say I own 1B mountain view week 31 at Hyatt Maui.

---

1) I can book week 31 1B mountain view at one year and six months from the beginning of week 31.

Q1 Is it the specific unit I own? Or a random any mountain view?

2) Now, suppose I don't want to stay week 31, but still want Maui (in DVC we would call it a home resort). Any time between one year and six months from the beginning of week 31, I call/login and convert my week into Hyatt Vacation Club points

Q2 Is there any advantage to owning at Maui? Or, I'm now competing with all points for Maui?

3) Lastly, I want to go someplace outside of Hyatt. I go to interval international "Hyatt owners get the II week if one is available -- anywhere, any time of year." This makes it sound like Hyatt points get some kind of booking power or priority.

Q3 Can anyone elaborate on the availability / priority Hyatt points get in II? Where can I see point values of Hyatt weeks and point costs in II?

Thanks to everyone especially ScoopKona for this discussion. I never could properly understand Hyatt, and I've been considering Hyatt USVI or Hyatt Lake Tahoe for a while.

1. You can book your "owned" unit as early as 12 months out, and as late as 6 months out. It is your specific unit you are booking.
2. The 18 months out applies to Exchange requests if you are planning on trading your points internally on the Hyatt Clubhouse site, i.e., "getting in line" for your requests. You can place your request 18 months in advance. Then you never hear anything back from Hyatt unless and until your request is filled, and then it is "final," no opportunity to accept or reject. Of course you can cancel it and rebook something else, but you will pay modest fees to do that. (I think about $60 to cancel and then another $60 to book something else, IIRC.
3. You don't "convert" your points. If you want a different Maui week than what you own, you simply make an exchange request using the procedure in the prior paragraph (2).
4. When you exchange for a different week than your owned unit, it is first come first served. No preference for owning a "home resort" week.
5. HRC points in Interval don't have any booking priority. "Anywhere, any time of year" means, "anywhere, any time of year" that is available on II. But HRC points are valuable in the sense that you will be able to see pretty much all the "better class" resorts in II, with the exception that your HRC points in II CANNOT see or be used to book another HRC resort. Darn it.
6. To see the "value" of HRC points in II, go here: "http://bywindkal.com/Files/HyattInterval.pdf" This is Kal's awesome HRC page. Navigate Kal's site, there is a lot of great info there.
7. Yes, thanks @ScoopKona. I have learned a LOT from him.

 

[ScoopKona]

5. HRC points in Interval don't have any booking priority. "Anywhere, any time of year" means, "anywhere, any time of year" that is available on II. But HRC points are valuable in the sense that you will be able to see pretty much all the "better class" resorts in II, with the exception that your HRC points in II CANNOT see or be used to book another HRC resort. Darn it.

This is to keep people from gaming the system. Someone could buy a Bronze week with 1300 points and trade it for a Diamond Week in Interval. All two bedrooms are 1300 points maximum. Hyatt internal trades are easy but typically higher-point costs than Interval. That's the trade-off.

 

[5finny]

So a Hyatt II deposit does not trump (or tie) Marriott preference ?

 

[ScoopKona]

I want to make sure I'm reading and inferring correctly. Say I own 1B mountain view week 31 at Hyatt Maui.

---

1) I can book week 31 1B mountain view at one year and six months from the beginning of week 31.

Q1 Is it the specific unit I own? Or a random any mountain view?

2) Now, suppose I don't want to stay week 31, but still want Maui (in DVC we would call it a home resort). Any time between one year and six months from the beginning of week 31, I call/login and convert my week into Hyatt Vacation Club points

Q2 Is there any advantage to owning at Maui? Or, I'm now competing with all points for Maui?

3) Lastly, I want to go someplace outside of Hyatt. I go to interval international "Hyatt owners get the II week if one is available -- anywhere, any time of year." This makes it sound like Hyatt points get some kind of booking power or priority.

Q3 Can anyone elaborate on the availability / priority Hyatt points get in II? Where can I see point values of Hyatt weeks and point costs in II?

Thanks to everyone especially ScoopKona for this discussion. I never could properly understand Hyatt, and I've been considering Hyatt USVI or Hyatt Lake Tahoe for a while.

1) Maui has float weeks, so Kal is the person to ask about those. But if you have a fixed, deeded week, yes. Anywhere from 365 to six months out, you can call and book what you own, and you are done for the year. You get what you own (if you have a deeded week).

2) There is no advantage to owning in Maui. My Key West points are just as good as someone's Maui points. It's all first-come, first-served. The Hyatt system rewards decisive planners. Those who change their minds often should probably avoid timeshare altogether. The sooner you can get your trade request in, the better your chances for getting it. And if you are flexible "Any week in July," then your chances increase. Hyatt internal trades are far easier than Interval, because you're only competing with other Hyatt owners. And we all know about the six-month procrastination deadline. So if you don't get your trade by the five month mark, it becomes a good strategy to just dump your points into Interval, so you have an extra year to use them.

3) Simple -- there is no priority for us. If the week is available, and we have the points, we can trade. Season doesn't matter. Nothing at all matters other than availability and points. I suspect (but cannot prove) that if a week comes up and three timeshare owners want it, it's going to go to the Hyatt owner first, then Marriott, and then "whoever is left." I get too high a percentage of my requests for it to be coincidental. Think about how it is for Interval, where some Orlando owner gets to trade for a Hyatt. That's customer satisfaction, right there. You can see the point values for Hyatt on the Hyatt point chart sticky. I listed the full Interval point cost in the first post -- 430, 870, 1300. (high season). So a 2200 point Hyatt owner is going to crush it in Interval.

 

[sponger76]

So a Hyatt II deposit does not trump (or tie) Marriott preference ?

No. Hyatt will not see Marriott units in II until the Marriott preference period is done. But once a unit is available in II outside of any preference period, if you have enough points you can book it and won't be shut out due to a lack of trading power due to the size/season/resort that you own. That's pretty much how other points systems work in II, such as Sheraton Flex or Westin Flex points. Those systems have charts that work exactly the same as Hyatt's point chart, it's just the numbers that are different.